


When Shit Hits the Fan

by StonyAvengerGirl16 (CharmedBritannia)



Series: StarkSpangledWinter [14]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Fighting, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Protective Bucky Barnes, Protective Steve, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-14
Updated: 2015-12-14
Packaged: 2018-05-06 15:18:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5421863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CharmedBritannia/pseuds/StonyAvengerGirl16
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony is not a prima donna, contrary to popular belief.</p><p>He's rather easy going, and simple. Sure, he has a few land mines, but they all revolved around one thing (or person). Other than that, most of his reactions were mild annoyance, flippant disobedience, or a plain old "fuck you". And sometimes people took advantage of that. </p><p>One day, people somehow manage to stomp on ALL of those buttons, and really aren't prepared for the backlash.</p><p>3...2...1...</p>
            </blockquote>





	When Shit Hits the Fan

**Author's Note:**

> Yay! People actually read my stuff! I like writing it, so I would either way, but knowing that people like it fills me with joy :). Leave a request or prompt, and I'll do my best!
> 
> Enjoy!

\----

All of the Avengers sans Tony gathered in the Common Area. They had ordered food, but no one was really eating it.

 

It was too quiet.

 

There was no one to throw hearted barbs with/at Clint, with questions for Thor, and to have flirty, loveable banter with Steve and Bucky. Throw in requests at JARVIS to make notes of this and that, and no one knew how the hell Tony juggled all these conversations. 

 

But his absence was definitely noticed. 

 

It wasn't just dinner that was different. Movie Night was pretty much dead on arrival, because no matter how much the team told him to shut up, his commentary made the movie more interesting and funny. So sitting in silence during a movie was just awkward. Steve and Bucky felt cold without their third piece of the huddle. There was no one to snuggle up to, or warm their front.

 

The blanket wasn't the same.

 

Pretty much everyone had vacated for the night. The bed was too large, and they knew it wasn't actually true. Even with just the two of them, the California King wasn't roomy. But with nothing to squish between them, they just felt...droopy. Sleep didn't come easily. There was no petting, or snuggling, or whispered half-asleep Italian to lull them into unconsciousness.

 

Steve felt cold, and Bucky felt his nightmares sneak up on him in the darkness.

 

How did this happen? They both knew.

\-----

"Tony. You know that you can't just shirk off business like this."

 

Tony glared up at Steve through exhausted eyes. He had been up for days, emphasizing to Steve and Bucky that he had to much shit to deal with to sleep, and that he wouldn't be able to sleep anyways. He was _so_ not in the mood for this.

 

"I think I know that, Steve. The new schematics for the arrows Clint requested are being a pain in the ass."

"Well, I'm sorry dollface, but this is the fourth time _this morning_ that Pepper has called and demanded you come in for an R&D inspection."

"And she can't do it because...?"

 

Natasha walked in at that moment, clucking her tongue on the way to the coffee machine.

 

"Because that's not her job, Stark. I was only undercover in your company for about a month, and even I saw that you put her through her paces."

"I don't _mean_ to, Romanov. If I didn't have to, I wouldn't. But now that I have Avengers shit _and_ SHIELD shit to deal with, I'm going to have to let a little bit of it trickle down."

"Doesn't seem like trickling down to me, Stark. It's more like dumping a bucket." 

 

Before Tony could retort about how _yes, he did feel shitty about that,_ Clint chose that moment to hop down from the ceiling. Bucky winced. Now was _not_ the time. He could stuff his other boyfriend's mouth, but Barton was out of his reach.

 

"Hey, Stark. How are my arrows coming?"

"They're a pain in the ass, Barton."

"Aww, come on!"

"Sorry, asswipe. It's not like I didn't have to fight fucking _sentient statues_ last week."

"You fixed your suit up!"

 

Again, before Tony could say _'fuck you, asshole, that's to make sure I don't_ **_die'_ ,** Bruce's voice rang in on the speakers.

 

"Tony, one of your experiments just let off a spark."

"Yes, Bruce, sweetie. It's prone to doing that."

"I have sensitive experiments right next to you, Tony. If one of those sparks travels, it could ruin my data."

"I have it contained, Bruce. I took measurements."

"Well, Tony, your measurements might not always be correct, and I'd prefer it if you take more precaution."

 

Tony was ready to shout that he _' **did**_ _take precautions, Bruce, because he understood about sensitive experiments, and that his measurements might not always be correct_ , _**but they had damn well been so far when it came to them-'**_ when Pepper strolled in. Tony gave up and let his head slam onto the kitchen island. He was too tired to deal with this shit right now-

 

"Sit up, Tony. I'm tired of you acting like a spoiled child. I've had to contact _Steve_ at this point, because you're not answering your phone! I've let you play with your toys long enough, Tony. You need to go get dressed and take some responsibility for a change-"

 

He didn't know what had happened. He was usually better at dealing with shit than this. But the constant stream of criticism and mental accusations of not being good enough had him imagining a face that he kept locked away so far and deep in his subconscious that he was surprised (and a little disappointed to be honest) that he hadn't shit out the memory. It was like someone had just gone 'lol nope', and cut through his taught string of tolerance with a pair of scissors. He felt hot, and shaky, and _angry._ Was this what Bruce felt like? Because it was like an all-encompassing fire was burning through him, leaving him pissed off, tired, and with a desire to scream. Steve immediately felt wary at his lovers shaking silence, and reached a hand out to rest on his shoulder.

 

To say that he was surprised when it was smacked away was an understatement.

 

Nobody moved, or even breathed. Tony lifted his head, eyes narrowed into slits, expression contorted into a mixture of frustration and irritated bitterness.

 

"First off, Rogers, I am aware that my ex-girlfriend/CEO is stalking me. Barnes, I'm not avoiding her calls, and I'm they're sorry they're _bothering you,_ but I've been working on these schematics for four fucking days, and I can't pull myself together to appear in front of my company _and_ the media in two fucking hours. Barton, I have been trying to find a way to make these arrows you keep badgering me about, and I didn't want to say it. But it is  _not fucking possible._ I hate to fail, and hate to quit more, but the _fucking laws of physics_ are one thing I can't beat. Trust me. I know. And about my suit, I HAVE to fix it, otherwise if we get a call my survival rate drops around a good seventy-five percent. I put it on a higher priority because while I  _really don't care_ if I am injured at this point, I've somehow made some asshole friends that would. Romanov, I understand that I am dumping shit on Pepper. I wouldn't want to, but as I stated before, I made some asshole friends who I kind of want to keep fucking safe, alongside the shit Fury wants, and what my customers want, and what the Board wants. If I could do more in a day, I would, but I can't, and I already feel shitty about it, so please get off my fucking back about it. _I know._ And Bruce. I love you to death, bro. But I think I know about sensitive experiments. And my measurements _have_ to be correct, because if they're not, my teammates, my _friends,_ and even fucking _civilians,_ could die. That's a lot of pressure to get those fucking measurements right. Plus, my mind is behind as shit-ton of everyday technology. So I think I can be trusted with knowing how far a fucking spark will reach. And Pepper, I am fucking tired of being compared to a child. Because you know what? A child doesn't have to do a miniscule fraction of the shit I do. And without those fucking _toys_ you keep mocking, there wouldn't _be_ a Stark Industries for you to run. And I officially _do not give a flying **fuck**_ if you label this as a temper tantrum. So you can take your fucking documents-"

 

He threw a manila folder containing the signatures she had asked for.

 

"And your phone-"

 

He threw that towards the Common Area.

 

"And your arrows and your plans and your fucking designs and Avengers' shit and SHIELD's shit and R&D's shit and the Board's shit AND EVRYBODY'S SHIT-"     

 

He stood up, chucked the tablet he was working on (but it was STARK brand, so the fucker didn't break like he wanted it to), and crumpled the hologram.  He glared at everyone, eyes flashing and chest heaving.      

 

"Take your shit and _leave me **alone."**_

\-----

That had been about a week ago, and they couldn't even attempt to reunite with him because he had taken his suit and high-tailed it to god knows where. And JARVIS wouldn't tell them where, only that he was alive and somewhat well. They tried to communicate, to say sorry, but all that came through was a pointed 'fuck you'. Everyone felt terrible. But when they got the call to assemble, they realized that they would have to put it on the back burner for a while.

 

Easier said then done.

 

Tony's aerial support when dealing with small armies of enemies made fighting a lot simpler. They had to actually hunt down stragglers, and without him there, there was no quick transport. Clint and Bucky were trying their best, but there was nothing like having a bird's eye view. Steve had a mutant dog snapping about ten inches from his face, and this whole situation was messed up. You could feel the absence of a team member like a missing puzzle piece. He was focusing again on the mutant dog, when suddenly it just wasn't there. It was laying a few feet away, sporting a generous burn mark. Steve had never been happier to see an injury.

 

"Tony-"

 

He didn't even have a chance to get out a full sentence before he was airborne again, obviously ignoring his presence.

 

It wasn't just him, either. He wove between their enemies, breezing from Avenger to Avenger and taking out any immediate threats. The creator of the mutants dropped his remote once his puppies started falling left and right, and not even sparing a second glance at the device before he obliterated it, Tony just silently backed him towards SHIELD's containment unit. Steve almost felt bad. The suit was mildly threatening without the human gestures that Tony gave it. Tony was in there, he knew, but the presence wasn't. Bucky had apparently decided that Tony wasn't going anywhere without him, because before he could jet off to whatever island he was hiding on, Bucky had lept off of his rooftop perch and managed to snag one of the suit's many latches.

 

Tony didn't want to talk to him, but he also didn't want the idiot to fall to his damn death, so he had no choice but to hit ground level.

 

Steve rushed forward before he could take off again, hands up in a placating gesture.

 

"Tony. We're all...we're all really sorry."

 

The faceplate snapped upwards, and Tony shot him an unimpressed look. He looked more well-rested, and less sleep deprived, so that was something.

 

"Missed _me,_ or what I could do _for_ you?"

"Both. Tony, what you contribute to the team can't be replaced, or replicated."

 

Clint spoke up, obviously uncomfortable under the sass.

 

"Yeah, Iron Ass. Who else am I going to torment and be an asshole with?"

 

_I miss you, dude. You're one of my best friends, and the Tower's no fun without you._

 

Natasha simply glanced at him, and raised an eyebrow.

 

_You're annoying, but I still miss having you around. Sorry for being hard on you._

 

Bruce was more outright with his apology. He knew that Tony was careful, and should never have implied that he wasn't. And he knew that he worked hard to make sure he was successful in everything he did. And he left a little bit unsaid. 

 

_You understand what I'm going through. It's nice having someone who likes me for me, not what I can do._

 

Steve and Bucky just hugged him, and that was enough.

 

_We're sorry. Please don't be mad. We miss you, and everything you say and do. We love you._

 

At the end of it all, Tony wore one of his small, sincere smiles. He refused to admit that he was about to cry, no matter what Clint said.

 

Clint lied.

\-----

After they had all gotten cleaned up, they sat on the couch for a _real_ movie night. They had ordered from Tony's favorite Italian place, and put on a cheesy sci-fi that he said he hated but liked to poke holes in their logic. Best of all, Steve and Bucky had their missing ingredient to their blanket burrito back. Clint spoke up with a mouth full of Chicken Parmesan.

 

"Dude. Where did you even _go,_ though?"

"Hm? Fiji."

"What? You went to  _Fiji? Why?"_

 

Tony just stuffed more shrimp in his mouth.

 

"Why  _not_ Fiji? Would you ever look for me there?"

 

No one could really answer that, so they just sat back and enjoyed the movie.

\-----

               


End file.
